The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.Sewel, William
History
The History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers: Intermixed with Several Remarkable Occurrencs.
Sewel, William
Society of Friends -- History -- Early works to 1800
For brevity’s sake I do not intend to mention all the places G. Fox
passed through, much less all his occurrences. At Kingsbridge he had
good service; and returning in the evening to his inn, and there being
many people drinking, he was moved to go amongst them, and to direct
them to the light which Christ, the heavenly man, had enlightened them
withal; by which light they might see all their evil ways, words, and
deeds; and by the same light they might also see Christ Jesus their
Saviour. But this discourse did not please the innkeeper, seeing it
hindered his guests from drinking: and hearing G. Fox speak so much of
the light, he snatched away the candle, and said, ‘Come, here is light
for you to go into your chamber.’
The next day, G. Fox went to Plymouth, and from thence to Cornwall;
and travelling through the country, he came to Market-Jew. Being there
at an inn, he met with some trouble from the magistrates: and he writ
a paper to show, that the Lord was come to teach his people himself,
by Jesus Christ, &c. This paper came accidentally to the hands of
Peter Ceely, a major in the army, and also a justice of peace at Ives,
whither G. Fox came. Here Edward Pyot and William Salt, who were G.
Fox’s fellow-travellers, were hauled before the said major, whilst G.
Fox was walking down to the sea-side; but he hearing this, followed
them, and came also into the justice’s house, where the aforesaid paper
being produced, it was asked him, whether he would own it: and he said,
‘Yes.’ Then the major tendered them the oath of abjuration, G. Fox
thereupon putting his hand in his pocket, drew forth the answer to it,
which had been given to the protector. A priest being present there,
found fault with his hair, which then was pretty long, and asked to
have cut it; but G. Fox told him, he had no pride in it. It happened
also at other times, that because of his long hair he was spoken to,
as I have seen myself; but of this I am fully persuaded, that he had
not the least pride in it; but it seems to me not improbable, that he,
seeing how some would make it a kind of holiness to wear short hair,
did the contrary to show that, in some things, there was a Christian
liberty, for which we ought not to judge one another. But to proceed,
G. Fox and his companions were taken into custody, and with a guard of
horse sent to prison with this mittimus.
‘_Peter Ceely, one of the justices of the peace of this county,
to the keeper of his highness’s jail at Launceston, or his
lawful deputy in that behalf, greeting._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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